It’s a perfect match for the longing melancholy of her lyrics, which are awash in the specter of lonely hours and missing lovers. To cap it off, Bombara offers a stunning cover of Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell” that perfectly captures the song’s haunting brilliance. Dare I say it’s better than Bob’s? LISTEN TO: “Blind Willie McTell”

'Hang,' Foxygen

Maybe best described as glam/disco/Broadway -- sometimes separately, sometimes all at once -- Foxygen's “Hang” is a punchy eight-track song cycle that I’m pretty sure is meant as a spoof of overblown, ornate ‘70s rock tropes, but who cares? It’s all so well done, drenched as it is in inspirations from David Bowie to Elton John to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” that it’s possible to get the joke and enjoy the musicality of the album at the same time. (It probably won’t hurt if you happened to live through and enjoy this stuff the first time around.) LISTEN TO: “Follow the Leader”

'Fear & Love,' Jake Clemons

Far from the gruff basso profundo that his Uncle Clarence used when he wasn’t blowing sax for Bruce Springsteen, Jake Clemons -- who now holds his uncle’s old spot in the E Street Band -- brings a smooth, reedy tone to his first full-length collection of low-key rockers about life, love and being better human beings. But there’s a genuine sweetness behind those airy vocals that makes this album so engaging: Like Linus’ pumpkin patch, Clemons has sincerity in spades.

Marked by great percussion, eminently listenable arrangements (with many instruments played by Clemons himself) and just enough verve to get toes tapping, “Fear & Love” is a sure sign that when it comes to musical vision, Clemons is becoming a big man in his own right. LISTEN TO: “Sick, Broke & Broken”

'Graveyard Whistling,' Old 97’s

Whether or not you think Old 97’s are the best alt country band of the current millennium -- and you could definitely make the argument -- it’s hard to say it’s not the most consistent. More than two decades and a dozen records in, they’ve never had a dud, and “Graveyard Whistling” is no exception: If anything, frontman Rhett Miller and company have upped the ante with their latest collection of guitar-fueled, rollicking, sardonic twang.

All the usual suspects are here -- Jesus, drinking, nostalgia, misanthropic women -- along with Miller’s long-cultivated skepticism about the efficacy of any of them. A spooky rockabilly collaboration with Brandi Carlisle on “Good With God” is a highlight, but there’s not a loser in the bunch: Old 97’s never fail to make you feel you can handle anything life throws out you if you’ve got the right company. LISTEN TO: “Irish Whiskey Pretty Girls”

Old 97’s play The Sinclair in Cambridge May 4-5; details at old97s.com.

'Are You Listening?,' Peter Mulvey

Evidence that stalwart folkie Peter Mulvey is clearly a poet and storyteller at heart: “Are You Listening?” contains a spoken-word poem (“Winter Poem”) and a monologue set to music (“The Other Morning Over Coffee”) nestled among its moving collection of intimate, far-ranging and often funny folk musings, produced by Ani DiFranco.

At times conversational and at others brooding, Mulvey growls and whispers his way through the highs and lows of human relationships, alternating between torrents of words and, in tracks like the haunting “Which One Were You?” (for Trayvon Martin), spare stanzas that reveal just enough. That song in particular is reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s more poetic work; in fact, in the absence of Leonard, you could do a lot worse than Mr. Mulvey. LISTEN TO: “Just Before The War”

Peter Mulvey plays Club Passim in Cambridge April 6-8; details at PeterMulvey.com.

'Pile Driver,' The Suitcase Junket

I don’t know how The Suitcase Junket, a.k.a. Matt Lorenz, feels about more cowbell, but he certainly likes the “Test Your Strength!” carnival bell -- for a good portion of “Pile Driver” it seems like there won’t be a single song without a sound effect that reminds you of Moe getting bonked. It’s one of many quirks that makes Lorenz’s crunchy Americana and grimy folk rock -- interlocked with hardcore blues, bluegrass bounce and even bayou stomp -- such a unique and unexpected treat.

Lorenz is a one-man band, but “Pile Driver” -- on which he breaks out a hoarder’s stash of homemade instruments -- has a rich sound that’s anything but spare, except by design on moodier tracks like “Why So Brief” and the fine, folky “Red Flannel Rose.” Instead, the eccentric instrumentation is a perfect complement to Lorenz’s offbeat folkster croon. LISTEN TO: “Seed Your Dreams”

“Pile Driver” is due out April 21. The Suitcase Junket plays The Sinclair in Cambridge May 31; details at thesuitcasejunket.com.

Peter Chianca is author of "Glory Days: Springsteen's Greatest Albums." Follow him on Twitter at @pchianca.